Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-07-22
SCARED BY a BLACK sPO0K.
The Uncanny Companion or n Minister
Graveyard walk.
Cincinnati Enquire

Cincinnati Enquirer.
A Methodist minister, lately g resident
OF Hamilton county, Ohio, who has been
visiting friends in our city, relates the
following thrilling episode IN his life,
which occurred while he WIS stepping II
Van Vert, Ohio:
at was on 3 beautiful moonlight even
ing in Ju8e, and the atmosphere was Just
about as sultry as it hss been q. eny
time during the present summer. | was
enjoying myself Ia the company of some
relatives who lived about three miles from
Van Vert, On the old Wiltshire road. A.
q late hour | rose to 60, but my friends
insisted that | should remain for
the night, as my way would be very lone
some. Il was suggested that some ghost
might appear to me al the cemetery or
some individual might rob me. This was
a beautiful country buryinG ground, and
was situated abou5 midway on my route.
| was quite amused at their arttul method
Of persuasion and laughed voCiierOusly.
Ii was very ridiculous 10 me, indeed, inst
there should be q ratCling OF dry bones or
lle apDaTition of spirit in modern
cemetery. The people Of to-day had
msGe too much advanCemeGt,a as 1 thought,
for such idle fancies as that.
s'Thus ] proceeded on my way with no
thought of denger-indiferCn u the
warnings that had Just been given me. As
drew near to the cemetery, however,
aud began to see the tall, white shafts oi
marble looming up 8nOnE The eTergreeDs
my Imagination was tensioned to its III
mos. capacity, and, | confess, ] wGs
lit su5ieC. for terror. 1t seemed g. il ell
the sp0Ok stories to which | mad listened
in niY childhood chased each Otner in
quick succession through my brain, end
the yeIg C1irTuo c. the cIickets, or the
ilCessaut song Of the Wlippoorwjl IN
tens fed the loneliness OF this little nook
of earth. The long line OF dark trees
thai threw such strange shadows across
the fields and the mellow light that fell
| from the moon upon every @rOtesque
stump or stately monument only served
! TO intensity my loneliness.
| 81 arrived 3. asst al the corner of the
| cemetery, and Oh, horrors, right in the
very center of this Held Of dead mems
! bones, and from the shadow OF q broad
new tombstone, I saw q tall. back
! creature rise ana stand erect The ap-
! partition seemed in the distance ike &
! huge cadaVeT clothed in q robe OF sack
! cloth. The dreary eyes were sua&cn
| deeD in their sockets, and the few jrreE-
ulzr suags that served Cor teeth were
! pressed like fangs against the thiu and
wTinkled lips. The monster gszed 3
moment in al directions; then
with q steady, measured movement
II made directly for me. l stopped
and gBzed upon the creature, end
started back bewildeTed, but, al once re
gaining my senses, l concluded to pro-
coed and if possible 10 put on the appear
gnCe of unCOnCern. As l proceeded ths
| speCter proceeded also, and, as certainly
Is ! live in the present moment, it seemed
! as if we would both meet at the sumo
point in the road. After going 2 short
distance l slackened my pace in order to
/ let the mysterious something have sli the
room in front Of me il might desire, and
/ in few moments | congratulated myself
on 5sirg a5Ou, twenty feet in tle resr.
"COntrary 20 ny aujcipati0Es, mere
was no conversation Cueued between "a,
| but in 2 strange, ghos,-like manner, the
/ long withared form moved alesd e Mo
until il reached g little Old, abandoned
/ buryiIg ground at the rant Of the road
/ This spot was far more desylat= than the
/ new cemetery, for it mad become entirety
/ neglected, 2nd at that late hour OF the
uight appeared g aulltLrU.nA5lU thiC6et,
/ 50 completely were the WeeGg, bushes,
/ 6Tisrs and trees tangled and matted to
: gether. Into this unCauny place 10y
/ gh0stly TERRIER passed and disappeared
! I hsve never understood the nature q
/ this appaUitiOn up to. the present time,
ana l am perfectly willing to give my
rame 10 any one VINO would be inclined
! 10 doubt the occurrence